Saturday 21 December 2013

Aaaah, Christmas Dinner.


                                     

Only a few days to go, and I must admit that I'm really looking forward to it.

Hardly a Christmas has passed when I haven't eaten Roasted Turkey. We've eaten Goose on a few occasions, and although I prefer the taste to Turkey, there just isn't a huge amount on them. I usually buy a free-range, organically-reared bird of about 4 or 5 kilos; I shall buy mine on Monday.

So on Christmas Eve we traditionally eat in Swedish Smorgasbord style, with cold ham, pickled red cabbage, other pickles, cheese (always decorated with tiny Swedish wooden mice), and other delights.

On Christmas day itself, it's smoked Salmon and Caviare for a simple light lunch, then the Turkey Food-Fest in the evening. I shall stuff the neck-end of the Turkey with a Port-flavoured mix of sage-n-onion, coarse ground pork sausage meat, chestnuts, and chopped prunes, and serve the meat with just roasted potatoes, sprouts, and a few extra chestnuts. I never go overboard on huge numbers of vegs. For our Christmas desert (if we still have room), what else than Plum Pudding with thick cream and Armagnac butter. All very traditional and simple.

I know I shall eat too much (I always do), but I shall make amends. What I shall NOT do, however, is buy mountains of food as if a great famine was imminent. Hopefully we shall eat extremely well; but sensibly.

May your Turkey be moist, your sprouts actually look like sprouts, and your indigestion be manageable. And if, like me, you really enjoy your time in the kitchen; HAPPY COOKING!




17 comments:

  1. Sounds like a similar menu plan to ours, except we have the turkey at lunchtime. Special Christmas for us this year as Little Stalky is over briefly from Oz. Bisous x

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    1. Do give her my very best wishes... and to both of you as well. Get that 'ground dwelling shark' securely wrapped!.

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  2. We start eating late afternoon and it just goes on from there. I once spent a whole night preparing a five bird and ham deboning turkey, goose, duck, chicken and adding pigeon breasts and stitching the turkey back together to make it look like a normal, if very fat turkey again as a surprise for the family, It went down a treat but I'd have to be seriously motivated to go to all that effort again!

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  3. Turkey here as well but we have our big meal at the noon hour and just a light cold meal in the evening. One sleeps better I find if the stomach is not filled to bursting right before bed time.
    Happy Christmas to you and yours Cro....I wish you crispy turkey skin and delightfully herbed potatoes.

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  4. Merry Christmas Cro! It's cold Christmas dinner for us .

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  5. Sounds delicious. Around here we tend to skip the turkey and alternate between leg of lamb or prime rib. It's lamb this year.

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  6. potatoes roasted in goose fat, I trust!!! We start our feasting begins on Monday, but I spent this afternoon making our Christmas terrine ( duck and pork with pistachios and cranberries) and Christmas cookies, for us and for friends...I'm icing the cake tomorrow, after church. Merry Christmas to you and yours.

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  7. OK great, now I'm STARVING! Your description of Christmas dinner is warmly delish. It's no wonder you can't wait to tuck in! Enjoy every happy morsel!

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  8. We have a traditional turkey dinner but eat at 1pm (old farmer tradition when the noon meal is the biggest of the day) and then go skating on the outdoor rink in our village.

    Happy Christmas to you and yours.

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  9. That all sounds just frabjous. Caloo Callay!
    Here more modest fare as it'll probably be hot. Maybe cold ham with marmalustard* and a sweet capsicum and potato salad, and lots of crispy green salady things and pickles with crisp fresh bread. Trifle with fresh fruit (mango, raspberries, strawberries and gold kiwifruit) for pud.
    Happy Christmas Cro, to you and all the other Magnons.

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  10. chicken and hogget at Doug's (aged between lamb and mutton). Looks like there will be ten of us so should be an enjoyable day. Showers forecast with 26 degrees C.

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  11. * https://www.facebook.com/CondimentumMustard

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    1. Very interesting. I shall have to try this with our Christmas eve ham.

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  12. I am veering these days towards a celebratory brunch - with scrambled eggs, ham, good bread and fresh strawberries, raspberries and cherries eaten out under the willow tree if the weather stays fine. But later in the day we go to Elwin's family who will have had a traditional cooked dinner around 3 o'clock (no sprouts at this time of year). By then we will be ready to eat again - the leftovers all laid out. The best of both worlds. Joyeux Noel

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  13. your christmas eve meal is our boxing day meal - but christmas day the same as everyone else - i love christmas food

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  14. Sounds like good food. We're having christmas dinner with just the four of us this year so it should be nice so long as the turkey is defrosted!

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